Spirit Week Dresses Up the Halls and Teachers

As you walk to your next class, you see students shuffling about the halls in vibrant colors, flower leis, and grass skirts as a bunch of Tigers are sipping fruit punch under a beach umbrella. At Hastings High, this can only mean one thing: it’s Spirit Week.

In the last week of August at HHS, Delta Fajardo decorated the Tiger Paw in front of the Tiger Lounge as students and teachers dressed up for Spirit Week in preparation for this year’s Homecoming.

Spirit Week is a time for people to dress up and promote school spirit before Homecoming. Math teacher, Ben Welsch, took this to heart when creating his Spirit Week outfits whether he was decked out “like a pastor” for all-black day or in full Hawaiian attire.  

“It’s probably the most dressing up I did in my twenty years as a teacher, and I don’t know what spurred it… I just went all out because I figured that if I was going to do something then I’ll do it to the fullest,” Welsch said.

One of Welsch’s favorite outfits was when he dressed up as a student which rendered him unrecognizable as a teacher to some.

“Teachers dressing up as students, that worked well. The other way (students dressing as teachers) did not work so well… (Welsch) had a picture of (his student outfit), and for a minute there I didn’t realize it was him. I was like, ‘who is that?’” Fajardo said.

Welsch thinks that Spirit Week helps students get out of their normal schedule.

“Hopefully it kind of disengages (us) from the grind of doing all the academic stuff all the time. I mean it’s hard enough to stay on top of all your classes,” Welsch said. “If kids are going all out and are trying to really (participate in the themes) then I think you can really have some passion and get yourself out of the norm.”

With posters and displays all around her room, decorations are a must for Fajardo, and for spirit week, she decided to utilize her passion to set up a display in front of the Tiger Lounge. Each day, Fajardo dressed up several plush tigers and decorated the wooden tiger paw sign according to the daily Spirit Week theme with the help of the assistant debate coach, Will Henley.

“I just love it! I love to decorate. I think it makes people happy, and if I’m going to do it, then I’m going to do it really well and right,” Fajardo said.

Years ago, there used to be different areas of the school that were decorated by groups such as Science Club decorating for World Day and Yearbook decorating to make a St. Patrick’s Day photo-op. Fajardo wanted to restore the school environment to its former state.

“Part of the reason why I did this is because I did feel we were losing that kind of tradition. I wanted to bring that feeling back… It’s gotten different,” Fajardo said. “From the first year (Fajardo has done decorations), we didn’t necessarily have a whole bunch of involvement. It’s three years in and we’re really getting people more involved, and I’m kind of hoping that as I do this more, we get more people.”

Being a prom sponsor also allows Fajardo to have old props on hand. However, she buys most of the props herself, out of pocket, in order to create her decorations.

“Most of it though, I do buy it. (The) school doesn’t pay me, so I just get it myself and I keep it. So like the color wars theme, I get the feeling that we’re going to do that in the future… I can keep it and maybe I can use it for prom decorations…,” Fajardo said.

What stood out to Fajardo during Spirit Week was that none of her decorations were stolen. The Hawaiian punch bottles she set out were still in place and students even decided to trade flower leis with the tigers.

“I was like, ‘You guys are great!’ Nobody took anything, and that happened for all of the days. Nobody messed with anything, and I was really proud,” Fajardo said. “I love Hastings Senior High because I just love how people are here in general. You may have people who are just the way they are, but for the most part, I love the personality in this school.”

Fajardo hopes that students enjoyed the decorations and would love more feedback from people.

“There were kids at the paw, and the paw lights were off. And so, they were like, ‘I want the lights on! I want the lights on!’ and they were trying to make it turn on, and I felt so sad… I felt the desire and need to turn it on because they want it on,” Fajardo said. “That’s amazing that people actually want that on. It’s part of it now; it’s part of the school now. I made something that people want to do and have!”

Fajardo looks forward to decorating again for a fourth year. She is overwhelmed by the potential themes and decorations that should be included next year, but she wants to decorate different areas for an interactive theme such as selfie day.

“We all have a lot of differences and Spirit Week is an opportunity for people to come together because you’re acting the same way, you’re looking the same way, you’re all here, doing the same thing! It’s all meant to improve the attitude in the school,” Fajardo said.